Loner
by SilveryKit
Summary: Luceria is a young Bosmer woman living a solitary life. She began life as a thief at a relatively young age, and as been travelling across Tamriel for years. However, she has just arrived in Skyrim recently, and this new land holds both terrors and wonders she's never dreamed of.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first real fanfiction, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes. This story will probably tie in with others I write which are based on Skyrim. Critiques and suggestions are appreciated! (Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my OC, Luceria. All rights to Bethesda.)

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**Part 1**

_Just get in and out as fast as you can. Take what you want and run._

Those words repeated themselves over and over again in my head. I had stolen from so many other places, taken thousands of septims' worth of other people's possessions; so why, then, was I unsure now?

My hands trembled as I lifted a gold necklace from an end table. As I slipped it into my satchel, I noticed it had been laying on top of a note. I unfolded it out of curiosity. What I read almost made me feel guilty:

_Dearest sister,_

_I've been thinking of you. It's been quite a long time since we last spoke, hasn't it? How are things, back in Cyrodiil? Is your shop still as successful as it was when I left? I hope you and your family are happy. I may be coming home soon. I'm excited to see you again. I'm sending you a gift, since I know you like to collect jewelry. I hope you like it._

For some reason, knowing that the necklace I was about to steal was to be a gift made me uneasy. I folded the letter and placed it back where I'd found it, laying the necklace back on top of it. I had stolen enough from here already. I left quickly, locking the door behind me. I slipped over Whiterun's wall with little difficulty. Tired from the long day of thievery, I sank to the ground, leaning back against the cool stones of the wall. My black hair tickled my face in the breeze.

I wondered why I suddenly felt remorse when it came to stealing sentimental objects. I'd never had any use for such emotions, as I had lived alone since I was a child, having run away from my home in Valenwood at a young age. Then again, maybe that was the problem.

As a Bosmer, darting around in the shadows came naturally to me. It wasn't hard to teach myself how to steal, and I made a decent living that way. However, as much as I enjoyed life as a thief, I would begin to feel terrible after stealing from someone I knew. Therefore, I quickly learned to avoid relationships with people while appearing charming and elegant at the same time. It would take a long time for townsfolk or guards to get suspicious of my actions, and if they did, I would simply travel to another town.

I was growing very sleepy by now. Luckily, there was a small bandit camp nearby that had been cleared out earlier by Whiterun's guards. I settled down in one of the abandoned tents and fell into a fitful sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

_"Why, Luceria? Why did you leave us?"_

_"We missed you, Luceria. You left us alone."_

_"You betrayed us. You betrayed your own family."_

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

My eyes shot open as I sat bolt upright, breathing hard. It was still dark. As my heartbeat calmed, I realized I'd been talking in my sleep again. _Damn it, _I thought, _when will I get that under control?_

That same nightmare had haunted me for years. The voices of my mother, father, and older brother scolded me until I woke up screaming. The nightmare always ended with me frantically apologizing and pleading for forgiveness. In truth, they had sent me off with their blessing, telling me to go and live life to the fullest. A short time after my departure, I got a letter. The letter was sent with a small amount of gold; my inheritance. Each member of my family had died. The cause is still unknown to me, for I never returned to Valenwood. Instead, I continued to travel across Tamriel. I don't know why I felt responsible for their deaths, but at least I know the source of my nightmares.

The faint sound of someone's nearby breathing snapped me back to the present. Whoever it was probably thought they were being silent, as any normal person would not have heard them. I'm glad I did.

I heard steel swipe the air above my head as I sprung away from my little tent. I got a brief chance to see the face of my attacker; he was a tall, brown-haired Nordic man with a shadow of a beard. His face might have been handsome if not for the dark war paint covering it, but his eyes...his ice-blue eyes were beautiful. Something about him reminded me of a wolf.

He was settled into a fighting stance, clutching a steel greatsword, silently challenging me. I'd fought off bandits and wild animals before, but never a heavily armored, muscular warrior. My best chance was to run and find a tree to climb, and so I ran. I was faster than he was, but I could still hear the clanging of his armor behind me. But...wait a minute...were there _two _of them? No, there were three; one lighter than the others. I wasn't sure, but I didn't dare look back. I was soon able to lose them behind me and run up into a tall tree. I waited there to make sure they were gone, my bow readied, just in case.

I was a bit surprised when they drew nearer to me. They had not lost my trail. I nocked an arrow, but a thought crossed my mind. _Why are they chasing me? _I wondered, _I've never been caught for thieving._ I returned my arrow to its quiver. I soon learned I was right, there were three of them. Two were men, a deep, rumbling voice and a heavy Nordic accent. The third was a woman with no accent, but a certain determination in her voice.

"Where did she go?" I heard in the heavy accent.

"I don't know, Vilkas," said the other male voice, "but I can still smell her nearby."

_What? _I thought, _Did he say he could _smell _me? Surely he's being sarcastic._

"So can I, Farkas," said the woman, "Surely she's around here somewhere."

"Did you see how fast she was?" said the man who must have been Farkas.

"Of course we did," said the other man, whom I assume was Vilkas, "Aela and I were right there."

"She's a master thief," said the woman, Aela, "Keep searching."

"Wait a minute," said Vilkas, "Is she up in that tree?"

That was my moment. I dropped out of the tree, dagger in hand, onto Vilkas' back, taking him off guard and forcing him to the ground. I held my dagger tightly against his throat. "One move and this one will bleed," I said, hoping I sounded brave. I never liked to kill. A low rumbling sound escaped Vilkas' throat. Was he _growling _at me?

Farkas started to step forward, but Aela stopped him by placing her hand on his chest. I studied their faces. Vilkas must have been the one who attacked me first. He and Farkas looked strikingly similar, the only differences being that Farkas had longer hair and a larger build. They must have been brothers, if not twins. Aela was tall and slender with long red hair. Three streaks of war paint covered her face, resembling claw marks. The paint made her eyes stand out. She, too, had beautiful ice-blue eyes.

"Well met, thief," Aela said coolly.

"Why are you trying to kill me?" I asked, doing my best to hide my fear.

"We were hired," Aela replied, "The Dark Brotherhood apparently failed."

Ah, yes. I remembered killing a masked assassin about two weeks earlier. They must've been from the Dark Brotherhood. "I'm sorry to disappoint you," I hissed.

"Let. My. Brother. Go." growled Farkas. The look on his face was one of pure hatred. I felt my heartbeat quicken.

"Farkas, keep it under control," said Aela. She spoke with slight urgency. I wondered what "it" was.

"She won't hurt my twin!" Farkas said, his tone rising, "I won't let her!" His scowl worsened until his lips curled back into a snarl. I heard him produce a low, guttural rumbling sound. It quickly grew louder. He sounded exactly like an angry wolf...only twice as terrifying. It was all I could do to keep from shaking.

"Farkas...!" Aela looked a bit afraid now.

I quickly learned why.

Farkas' eyes rolled back in his head. He slouched forward, the veins in his neck popping out as his muscles tensed violently. His steel armor came unclasped and fell to the ground. He was getting larger. Dark fur sprouted from everywhere on his body as his face elongated...into a muzzle. He roared-whether in anger or pain, I don't know-revealing sharp, white fangs. His fingers were suddenly long, sharp claws.

By now, I had released Vilkas and darted back up into the tree, where I watched, terrified. What stood before me was no longer a man, but a bipedal wolf, at least two meters tall. Vilkas and Aela had backed away, out of the beast's line of sight, leaving me as its focus.

There was no time to wonder what was happening, no time to think of a way out. The creature sprang up into the tree, it's razor-sharp claws narrowly missing me as I dropped to the ground and bolted.

I ran for all I was worth. I didn't know where I was going, and I didn't care. No matter how may rocks I vaulted over, how many trees I slipped between, it continued to pursue me. I heard its feral growling behind me, and was filled with a terror like I'd never felt before. My lungs burned and my legs ached. I knew I couldn't continue for much longer. I had to think of something.

I spotted a nearby cave, and darted into it without a second thought. It had probably been a bandit's hideout in the past, as there were several untouched tripwires on the ground, which I easily avoided. Luckily, the wolf did not. The tripwires triggered a range of traps, from releasing maces swinging from chains to dropping rocks from the ceiling. It slowed the wolf down a bit, and I was able to slip behind a boulder. I reached for my mace, which I always kept hanging from my belt...only to find it was not there.

I was breathing too heavily to curse. I needed to find another weapon. The wolf-thing was getting closer, but it sounded like it was limping. I felt like I didn't have any strength left. Perhaps it would be easier to let the beast have me...

It rounded the corner, it's terrifying eyes locking with mine. In a sudden rush of panic, I lifted an apple-sized stone from beside me and flung it at the beast. It met its jaw with a _thud__, _and the beast fell.

It appeared to be unconscious, but I picked up another stone it case it wasn't. It didn't move after several minutes, and I began to think it was dead. That thought didn't last long, for the beast's appearance began to shift. Its dark fur fell off in some places and receded in others, while its muzzle shrank back into a nose and mouth and its claws once again became hands. In a matter of a few seconds, the savage beast was gone, leaving that brute, Farkas, in its place. He was naked, and I covered him with what appeared to be a piece of a torn bedroll. It was then that I was able to see his face well. His war paint was gone, giving him a much less intimidating appearance. He was rather handsome with a clean face. I noticed he was breathing deeply, and was curiously glad I hadn't killed him. Seeing his devotion toward his brother, even if it nearly resulted in my death, made me want him to live. I knew how it felt to lose a brother.

Now that I had a chance to calm down, the first thought that crossed my mind was "what in Oblivion was that!" It probably should have terrified me more, but it wasn't the strangest thing I'd seen in Skyrim. Besides, I was far too exhausted to think about it too much. My eyes fell closed before I could lean against the wall.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

I don't think much time passed before I opened my eyes again. I hadn't dreamed at all, so I either didn't sleep for more than an hour or I just didn't sleep very deeply. Farkas was still sleeping in front of me. I knelt beside him so I could see if he was seriously injured, his left leg appeared to be badly bruised. I didn't know why I cared, but it didn't matter anyway. He moved his arm slightly before I could touch him, so I pulled my hand back. His hands curled into fists as he lifted his head with a grunt. His ice-blue eyes blinked open, focusing on me. Our eyes met for a moment, his full of confusion.

"You... didn't kill me?" he said softly.

"Well, this isn't exactly Sovngarde," I replied.

"I would've expected it," replied Farkas, propping himself up on his elbow, "I was trying to rip you apart."

_Ah, so he kept the memory of our little chase. Perhaps becoming that creature is a conscious thing. _"That you were, but I don't think you're much of a threat at the moment," I said, glancing at his bruised leg.

He followed my gaze, wincing when he noticed his injury. "I think it's broken," I said. I heard him curse under his breath.

"What will you do now?" he asked.

"I want to ask you some questions."

"Why should I answer them?"

I giggled a little. "Well, you can't move, can you? Ah, and you don't have a weapon, but I do."

"I can smell your fear."

My fake smile disappeared. _Ah, to blazes with acting brave, _I thought, _It won't get me anywhere. _"I suppose I am afraid. I've just been nearly killed by a gigantic wolf-man-beast-thing."

"Werewolf," Farkas corrected.

"Werewolf..." I whispered, looking at the ground. It was a strange, foreign word to me.

"I'm a member of the Companions," Farkas continued, "and part of the Circle. All members of the Circle are werewolves. It was supposed to be a secret."

"I've heard of you," I said, "The so-called strongest band of warriors in Skyrim." I paused for a moment. "You were hired to kill me."

He nodded.

"Who hired you?"

"I don't know."

"What? How?"

"He wore a mask and didn't speak. He simply handed our Harbinger a note and left."

"What did this note say?"

"It just said to kill you and send word to Riften when you were dead."

_Riften, eh?_ I zoned out for a moment, wondering about the significance of Riften in all this. My thoughts were interrupted by a shout of pain from Farkas. Startled, I looked up to see him clenching his teeth, breathing heavily. He must have tried to move his leg. His brother would be searching for him, and had probably heard that. I had to get out of there.

"I wish I could help you," I told him, "but it's not safe for me here. Your companions shouldn't have much trouble finding you."

With that, I darted out of the cave and immediately slipped into a thick bush nearby. It didn't take long for Vilkas to show up and run into the cave. I took the opportunity to get back to Whiterun and hire the carriage driver, Bjorlam, to take me to Riften. It was simply too far to walk. Besides, I could use the opportunity to relax for a bit. Bjorlam was a talkative man, and seemed content to ramble on about trivial matters while I sat silently, tuning him out. Eventually, however, he did say one thing that caught my attention:

"Have you heard the rumors lately? There's been a thief slinking around, taking massive amounts of coin and valuables from nearly every house in both Whiterun and Falkreath Holds."

Whiterun and Falkreath? Those two holds were the only two I'd visited since entering Skyrim. "A thief, eh?" I said, "What sort of thief?"

"No one knows for sure," Bjorlam replied, "She's never been caught, not even seen for more than a second, but word is she's some sort of elf."

"How would one know that if she's never been caught?" I was getting a bit worried now. I had a feeling these rumors referred to me.

"Small and slender with pointy ears."

I suddenly became self-conscious of my long ears and small frame. There was no more question in my mind now. Someone was onto me.

"They've taken to calling her 'Shadow-Hand'."

Well, now there was something I liked. "Luceria Shadow-Hand"... I could get used to that. It did, however, mean I was in danger.

Bjorlam continued to talk. "Some think it's a whole band of thieves," he said, "they say even the Dark Brotherhood couldn't get rid of them... or her. Whichever one of those it is."

I smirked a little. I was proud of myself for that. A masked assassin had shot an arrow at me one night as I wandered around outside of Riverwood. After hearing the bowstring being pulled back, I'd managed to dodge the arrow and slip into the shadows, catching the assassin off guard and slitting their throat.

I stopped paying attention while he continued to chatter. I decided to lay low for a while; refrain from stealing things while I looked for answers in Riften. I wasn't even sure what to look for. At least I'd get a chance to try Black-Briar mead.

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**A/N: **I know the chapters are short. Bear with me, they'll get longer as I get more ideas.


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